Electric Lemonade
by Wicked Wonder
Summary: Ducky lives and learns at Sweet Valley University. On hiatus, more chapters coming!


California Diaries- Ducky

"electric lemonade"

Summary: Ducky discovers new friends and things about himself in his freshman year at Sweet Valley University.

Rating: PG-13 (language, themes, situations, and slash much much later)

Note: This is a restructuring (you could even call it a remix) of the story I started way back last year, done to clear up tenses, and apparently I can't write without slash, because there's gonna be some in here. So if that's squicky to you, don't read this. Also, there's talk about 9/11 and the fall out, so if that's upsetting to you, you know what to do. And there will be more than one chapter. Hopefully. One last note: there are crossovers in here with some of my other stories. You don't have to read those at all to understand what's up, though.

Disclaimer: If you know them, they're not mine. If you've never heard of them, guess who they belong to?

Feedback: Makes me feel 5'7". Vixxxen@rocketmail.com

For: The people that reviewed the first time around. You guys are the reason I wanted to make this better!

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Chapter One: Because all stories have a beginning

July 1st                                                                         9:00pm

In Which You Have the Obligatory Mention of Your Friends

(Note to self: This is the first journal that you are writing just for yourself.)

You just got back from your graduation party. All of your friends were there: Dawn, who flew in from Stoneybrook, Sunny, Amalia, Maggie, Alex, even Jay, who was refraining from his usual "Duckmeister! Duck-O-Rama! etc." jokes.

Ted was there too, but only to stop in and give you his present, the new journal you are writing in now.

The party itself was nice, low key, just the way you like things. Everyone talked about what they think that college will be like. You commented that living in a dorm couldn't be any worse than living with Ted.

Dawn talked about living in Stoneybrook full time. She misses Palo Alto, but she likes SHS. 

Maggie talked about her mother, a rare occurrence. She was saying that her mother was thinking of opening a resale clothing shop for charity.

Amalia and you are the closest now. You already knew her news, that her parents are having another baby, but you oohed and aahed along with everyone else.

Even Sunny, who almost never says anything anymore, talked about working at the bookstore and some of the crazy experiences that she had. (You are worried about Sunny. She is a lot of things, but shy isn't one of them.)

Mostly, you sat and pigged out. And talked about the next time you would get together.

"I think that we should meet back up over Thanksgiving break this year, to see how everyone likes...everything!" Amalia stated. Everyone laughed, and you are grateful to have friends like this. 

After everyone left, your parents called, from Slovakia.

"How was the party, dear?"

"Fine."

Which basically was the whole conversation. They apologized for not being there, but at this point, you would have been more surprised if they had shown up.

Phone's ringing.

That was Alex. It's odd, almost, having conversations with him again, because of all of the baggage there is between you. But your friendship has survived all of it. He was going out tonight, and invited you. You turned him down, because he's with Jay, and even though the group is older, they're still Cro-Mags. Some things change, others don't.

Sleep sounds like a good idea now.

July 12                                                                          Noon

You're on break at work. Writing hasn't been a priority because of the busy schedule you have been keeping. You're into the last month of working at the bookstore until the next summer. Mr Winslow keeps saying how much he'll miss you. You wanted to remind him that Sunny is ready, willing and able to take your place, but refrained from saying that because Sunny was standing behind you, listening. So you said, lightly, "I'll miss you, too. Maybe I'll come for Thanksgiving."

"You'll be welcome. Isn't that right, Sunshine?" He turned to Sunny, who was now behind the counter. Her eyes were dull. 

"Yes, Ducky." You'll be welcome if Sunny doesn't kill you. At that moment, she looked like she was plotting something.                                                        

Break's over. Time to go.

July 12                                                                          Midnight

In Which You Think About the Day

After work, Sunny came up to you and asked if you wanted to go to the mall. She looked like she needed to talk, so even though you had some pre-registration things to do for college, you said yes. She got in your car, and you barely pulled off when she blurted, "Alex and I are going out."

You pulled over and looked at her in shock. Before you could speak, she held up a warning hand and said, "Yes, it just started, yes, I realize that he's leaving for NYU in a month, no, I don't know what will happen then. But I thought you deserved to know."

After that, there wasn't really anything you could say, so you drove in silence to the mall. 

You picked up some clothes that you're going to need. After all, Sweet Valley University is a whole different league than Alta Vista. Your style needs to...evolve with it. You found some really cool shirts at a new store called Pauly's. Sunny picked up some new sunglasses, which you approved of. You drove home in the same silence as before. When you got to her house, she sat in the car a minute before asking, "You're not mad, about Alex, are you?"

Actually, you're glad that two of your best friends are trying for happiness. The two of them deserve some. You told her that, which cheered her up. She kissed you on the cheek before she went into her house. You fleetingly thought back to the time that she kissed you, for real. You're glad that you got over that awkwardness.

After you dropped Sunny off, you made the hour drive to Sweet Valley. It's really not that different from Palo Alto; they're both warm, sunny, and are full of beautiful people. You found your dorm easily, and picked up your key and some other things so that you'll be ready in August. You're looking forward to meeting new people. But you're a little worried about your roommate; they could be a Cro-Mag or a Philistine (which is really the same thing). 

When you got home, Ted was there, watching television and cheering for some team. Wisely, he left you alone to... do nothing in your room.

You're starting to realize that your room doesn't feel... enough anymore.

You're ready to move on.

August 15                                                         10:00pm

In Which a Tearful Parting Happens

Your parents got back last week. In a month, they will be going to Crete, which is a repeat trip but exciting for them. Your mother told you that "they couldn't miss their baby leaving home!" You felt that since you have been basically on your own for years now, the whole parents go to the dorm with you experience was overrated in your case, but you couldn't persuade them otherwise.

So today, you found yourself following your parents to the SVU campus. As usual, your father drove as if the speed limit was a suggestion, to be followed only when there are no cops around. You felt bad driving so fast, but there was nothing you could do about it.

When you pulled up to your dorm, there were other students arriving with their parents. You grabbed a load and started climbing up the three flights of stairs to where your dorm is located. Meanwhile, your parents tried to find the RA for some reason. You were done with your things before they even found your room.

"It's so small," your mother commented.

"Hope your roommate isn't crazy," your father added.

"Maybe you should have gone where Ted went," your mother said.

After a while, you tuned them out and started unpacking boxes. They got the hint and helped you. An hour later, your dorm actually looked livable.

"Well, that's everything." Your father stood in the middle of the room, looking uncomfortable.

Your mother embraced you hard. "Call if you need anything!"

They swept out of the room and you took the first deep breath of the day. You looked around the room, noting that everything is a mirror image. Two beds, dressers, closets, etc. You claimed the side closest to the windows.

An hour after your parents left, someone poked his head into the room. "Hey! I'm Chuck, the RA. Are you Chris?"

You were about to tell him your nickname, but something stopped you. "Yes."

"Later, around 8, we're having a meeting for the freshmen in the foyer."

"Okay."

After he left, someone came barging in with a ton of stuff. Once all of the things were on the other bed, you could see that your roommate is of the female variety. She looked at you in shock.

"You're not a girl," she pointed out.

"I'm aware of that," you replied.

"You are Chris McCrae, right?"

You nodded. Then comprehension dawned. "You're Jeremy Clary?"

"The one and the same. Wait a minute." She dug through some papers until she came up with the one she wanted. "Aha! It says on my roommate application that you're listed as a female Chris. Like, Christine."

You winced a little at that. Then you pulled out your application. "On mine, they have you listed as male."

"A double screw-up. Great." She sat on her bed. "My parents will freak if I room with a guy."

"My parents won't care." It was meant to be matter of fact, but it sounded kind of bitter to your ears.

"I wish mine were like that. They're pissed at me because I went away to college. They wouldn't even come see me off." For a second, it looked like she was going to cry, but then she smiled and said, "Well, screw them. Chris, did they announce about any kind of meeting downstairs?"

"It's at 8."

She glanced at her watch, which made you look at yours. You hurried and headed downstairs.

The meeting was boring. You had to introduce yourself to the group, which wasn't bad. There didn't appear to be a Cro-Mag in the bunch, which Jeremy explained to you as you walked back to your room. 

"The jocks have their own dorm, if they're not Greek. Most of the jocks are. This is the 'normal' dorm, so apparently, you're not here on scholarship, really smart, or into Performing Arts."

Which explains only so much.

Jeremy introduced you to some people she went to high school with. Apparently, half the campus graduated from Sweet Valley High. Her group of friends is into writing and hope to report for the campus newsletter. You now know more girls than boys on this floor, but at least they are your own age, more or less. You met Megan Sandborne, who knows a bunch of juniors already, Melia Renolds, Annie Whitman, who is older than you but took a couple of years off before coming to college, and the co-RA, Winston Egbert, who knows some of the people that Megan knows.

Tomorrow, the first day of classes.

August 16                                                                     9:15pm

Recapping the First Classes

Well, there's nothing much to say about English 101.

It's English.

You spoke to Alex after you got back from the dorm meeting last night. His mom flew with him to New York because she was worried about security, terrorists, blah blah blah Osamacakes. You realize that the world is a different place after 9/11, but to you, worrying about everything is "letting the terrorists win". Not to mention if you chose to worry about flying, which you don't, you would be paralyzed with fear about your parents, which you are not.

To change the subject, Alex told you that he plans to see Sunny over Thanksgiving Break. You wanted to remind him that there's a long time between August and November, but didn't say anything. He also told you that Jay got settled at UCLA okay, which is nice, but you haven't heard from him yet. 

At lunch, you ate with Jeremy and her friends. They were discussing this scandal with the basketball team. Apparently the coach was supplying the team with false grades, drugs, and women. Basically if they wanted it, they got it. 

"Would you have told on them, Chris?" Melia asked you.

"Sure. I don't know if I could have written about it, though."

"But you write all the time!" Jeremy turned to her friends and said, "Chris went to a school where you have to keep a journal from kindergarten to your senior year. He says that it's too ingrained in him to quit journaling now."

"You sound like my friend Liz," Megan commented. "She doesn't go anywhere without her journal. I should introduce you to her."

"New subject!" Annie said. "Did everyone's parents call and give them the 'Oh, my baby!' speech last night? Mine did, and I'm twenty years old!"

"Mine didn't," Jeremy said a little bitterly.

"Neither did mine," you said. You didn't mention that it was because your parents were flying out the same night.

"My mom did. And my older brother! I felt all of six." Megan sighed theatrically. 

Everyone laughed and you joined in, glad to have someone to talk to.

After your second class, which is Freshman Orientation, you got a phone call from Dawn.

"Everyone was waiting for you to call! What's going on? Do you like your roommate?"

"Slow down, you'll give yourself a heart attack. I'm good, classes are fine, roommate's great. She's not here right now."

"Oh my God! You have a female roommate!"

"Yeah, computer error, but it's cool. So, what are you up to?"

"At the moment, nothing. Later, Maggie, Sunny, Amalia and I are going cruising, thanks to Maggie's car."

"Cool. I have to have you guys over to campus soon."

"That'd be great! Well, I have to go. Bye, Ducky."

After she hung up the phone, you realized something. When Dawn was talking to you, you tried to be the old big brother/confidante/buddy that you always were to the girls, even though they're not thirteen anymore. But it didn't work.

For some reason, that both excited you and scared the hell out of you.

(thanks for reading, and stay tuned for updates!)


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